Only they know
by The cursed child
Summary: Albus Dumbledore showed up to identify one of the Potter twins as the boy who lived. But Lily refuses to let him destroy their life.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N don't own. I hope you enjoy this one-shot (for now).**

Lily was laughing as her twins were once again doing everything they could not to be separated. She should be frustrated, seeing as she had been trying to have them sleep in separate beds, but they were just too adorable.

Her wand was out, just in case, but she knew that Nathan wouldn't let Harry fall as he levitated his brother to his bed. She was glad that nothing had changed. They were both exceptionally good at controlling their magic, and they were getting better everyday.

Harry landed safely in his brother's bed and both closed their eyes to go to sleep. They had never been any trouble as long as they were together. They slept through the night, they ate their food, they smiled and laughed and were her everything.

She walked towards their now shared crib and gently covered Harry with the blanket. She tucked them in while she sang a song even when they were already asleep. She loved singing to them both, it made her smile, but they smiled as well in their dream, and that was what made her sleep well despite the attack on her family last night.

She watched her boys for another hour, seeing them get closer as they rolled over until the eldest had his arm around the youngest. She could've stood there for another hour, but the wards flared, so she went downstairs with her wand drawn.

She found her husband sitting on their new couch, facing him was Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

The man had changed since she last saw him. The twinkle in his blue eyes when they'd met had disappeared since the war had started. It was back now. It made him look younger and happier. He looked like he no longer had a care in the world, she didn't like it, not with the threat to her sons.

Her husband was quiet, which was probably the result of something the Professor had said, otherwise he would probably be busy entertaining their guest with some story.

"Ah, Mrs. Potter, how are you?"

James turned his head towards the doorframe, where she was standing. A hesitant smile and sad eyes made her brace herself for whatever their guest had to say.

"I'm well, Professor, what brings you here?"

Lily took a seat next to her husband and stared at Dumbledore intently as her husband placed his arm on her shoulders, rubbing small circles with his thumb.

"I have been asked by the ministry to identify the Boy-Who-Lived."

"I see."

And she did. She'd known that she wouldn't be able to keep it quiet that one of her boys had vanquished Lord Voldemort, but it had been worse than they'd imagined.

The press had found out after three hours, and the Daily Prophet's front page had given one of their sons that ridiculous title. She knew that this question would be asked, but she'd never thought that Dumbledore would bent to the will of the Ministry.

James pulled her closer to him and she glanced at him before returning her attention to the other man in the room.

"Do you mind?" he asked while already standing up. It had been months since anyone had said no to him, all relying on his experience from the war with Grindelwald. But these two boys were her sons, and she wasn't going to let them be separated by fame because one of them had killed a man.

"No," she whispered.

James' hand held hers delicately as they both looked up to the now unwanted guest. The man had frozen for a second before speaking.

"You have to understand, dear girl, that this is the only way, the prophecy says.."

Husband and wife stood up and blocked the door that let to the second floor.

"We know what the prophecy says, but our sons know who it was that defeated Lord Voldemort, and unless they tell us, they will be the only ones who know of which boy the prophecy speaks." James said furiously.

"Riddle may not be dead, Professor, but neither of my boys will ever stand in front of him without the other. You claim that 'the power he knows not' is love, and I think that you should realise that these boys are brothers, and that to each of us family means everything. "

"I understand that both of you are concerned about the consequences, but I will report my findings to the Ministry, I have no choice."

"You will just guess without seeing either of them, and let the other live his life wondering why he was not good enough, what if you guess wrong?" James shouted.

"You have a choice," Lily spoke for the first time since her refusal.

"I went to countless Order meetings, and you refused to let us use lethal spells. You told us that we had to do what was right, not easy. You're the one making that mistake now. I can't let you do this."

Lily let a tear slide as she drew her wand and disarmed the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Not having suspected that she would ever refuse him anything, Dumbledore let the wand be taken from his hand.

"James, check on the boys, I want to speak to the Professor in private."

James, knowing that his wife wanted him to protect their sons, should she fail to convince the Headmaster, kissed her cheek and went upstairs.

"I know what I hold in my hand, Professor, and I know that the cloak you gave back to James at the beginning of this meeting is not a regular cloak. Power is a dangerous thing in the hands of your enemies, but even more dangerous in the hands of those whom you consider friends."

She looked at him with sad eyes. She used her own wand and a tray with vials floated towards the man.

"These are all of the memories that you collected about Tom Riddle, and I think that we have reached the same conclusion."

"Please, Lily, I ask you not to seek for them. If he notices that they're gone.."

"He is a spirit right now. He has fled the country - probably Europe - and that means that there is no reason not to look for his Horcruxes. I will find them, Sir, and destroy them well before my boys are grown men and fighting a battle that should not be theirs to fight."

"I'm going to tell James and Sirius and Remus and possibly Frank and Alice, and we're going to destroy them one by one."

"It is crucial that as few as possible know, my dear. Let me do what should be done."

"You don't understand, Professor. I would've have died for my husband and our sons if it had been necessary yesterday, I would do anything for them. So you're going to swear an Unbreakable Vow that you will not tell anyone about Harry or Nathan until I give you permission, or I will not let you leave tonight."

"Lily, it doesn't have to be this way."

"It has to, you've given me no other choice."

* * *

><p>The six-year-old Potter twins were playing in the garden when their mother called them. Both raced to the kitchen and hugged her legs.<p>

"Mom, we did it!" yelled an exited Harry as he and his brother grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the garden.

They pulled her towards the ground and took their own places on the grass. Nathan and Harry faced each other and smiled as they looked at the ball in the midst of the triangle.

Nathan grabbed the ball and held it high above his head. He concentrated and suddenly let the ball go. Instead of falling to the ground however, the ball floated midair. It slowly moved towards the centre of the small group and froze there.

The boy started making circles with his ring finger and the ball slowly started spinning in it's place.

Harry closed his eyes and the colour of the ball changed from blue to green. The colour kept changing and changing until there was no way to separate one from the other.

Lily watched proudly as the brothers used their magic in the same way she had when she was still a young child. The boys always planned their new trick before they went to sleep, and spent their playtime in the garden trying to actually do it.

They always played with their magic and it made their parents prouder everyday. They had never asked it of them, but the boys didn't mind anything that had to do with magic. Both thought of it as the best game in the world, and that they enjoyed it made her smile just a little brighter.

The brothers promptly stood and started levitating the ball towards each other. When they caught the ball they changed its colour and levitated it back to their brother.

The ball suddenly launched itself into the air and both boys promptly forgot the toy as they ran towards their dad, who was watching with a laugh on his face.

* * *

><p>"So, which of you two did it?" Headmaster Albus Dumbledore asked the brothers as they sat by the lake with their backs turned to him.<p>

"Does it matter, Professor?" Nathan asked curiously.

"I guess it no longer does, but will you indulge in satisfying an old man's curiosity?"

"One of us defeated him while the other had his back. It doesn't matter which of us played what role. We couldn't have done it without each other, and that is the only answer that I feel comfortable giving, Sir."

"I'm glad that I got to know the both of you," Albus relented as he made his way back to the castle.

As he stood near the entrance of the castle he heard a voice from behind him.

"Do you regret that I didn't let you choose all those years ago, knowing what you know now? Knowing what they've become and what they've been through."

"Would you have killed me, Lily?"

"Look at them, Professor, and tell me that it was wrong of me to protect them at all cost."

The students were sitting side by side at the edge of the lake, watching Fawkes fly and sing a melody like no song they knew. The phoenix landed on their touching shoulders and went quiet for a moment before taking flight and resuming the song.

"I admit that I will spent the last of my days wondering of which of your sons the prophecy spoke, but I'm glad that you didn't let me find out, it is better this way. You raised wonderful boys, but I have to ask; Do you know which of your boys saved us?"

"I told you once and I will again. Harry and Nathan are the only ones that know, and that is a secret neither of them wants to share, and I wouldn't want it any other way" James Potter said as he snuck up behind his wife.

The trio watched as the saviours of both worlds transfigured a rock into a ball and changed the colours of the rapidly spinning toy while it rose higher and higher until it disappeared into a cloud, both lying next to each other in the grass, watching the stars that lit up the dark sky.

**A/N This was an idea that has been bothering me for weeks. I adore wrong Boy-Who-Lived stories, but I detest the way that sweet and caring Lily (who died to protect her son in cannon) suddenly turns into a neglectful and horrible mother to little Harry and James who turns back into an arrogant and spiteful man who detests one of his sons, Lily would never allow that. Therefore I'm considering writing a story where James keeps the custody of the boy who lived and Lily leaving with Harry, because that is a plausible, if slightly improbable plot. I'll think about it…. I hope you enjoyed this**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N This is just a scene from the life of my Potter twins. I love the idea, but I don't have the time to write the whole story, so one-shots will have to do. Enjoy, and thank you for all the reviews and for reading my amateur attempts to write ideas down.**

"Dad!"

8-year-old Harry Potter shouted for his dad as he kneeled next to Nathan. The boy's bottom lip was trembling as he tried not to cry.

James, who had been in his bedroom, raced down the stairs and into the living room where he found his sons. They were not alone. A figure, dressed in black and masked shot another spell at his sons just as James turned around the corner. Harry, too, collapsed, just as his brother had done before him.

James immediately attacked the figure and subdued him quickly. The thing had not seen him coming from behind and had been to late to shield himself. The auror stunned him twice for good measure and bound him with ropes. He tried to summon a portkey, but it was not present.

Convinced that the figure wasn't going anywhere, James dropped on his knees next to his twins and looked them over. He used a spell to counter the pretty harmless stunning spells the figure had used and put both boys on the couch. He checked them over thoroughly, despite their protests and told them to stay put.

He flooed his wife and called Sirius with his mirror and told them both to come home. Lily panicked and told him to get his ego-inflated head out of the fire so she could use it to get home. James, used to his wife, and still worried, did as she ordered. Sirius already stormed the Potter home with back-up and after checking on the figure, raced towards his godsons.

He checked them over just as thoroughly as James had, listening to their protests even less than his best friend had done and contacted Moony, stating that: "Moony always has chocolate to help us."

Seconds later they heard a pop outside as the boys raced to the fireplace and hugged their mother.

Lily proceeded to check their health using basic spells and guided them back to the couch, where she whispered softly to both of them. She held them both close, afraid that they would disappear if she let them go.

Remus walked in and saw the boys, upset and tearstained, and grabbed some chocolate as he crouched in front of them and their mother. He broke the bar into pieces and handed them to the boys. They both smiled and wiped their tears from their faces, munching on the pieces. He smiled gently at Lily, who had a tear on her cheek and told the boys a made-up story while Lily went to get some food in the kitchen.

The three aurors whispered quietly in the corner and Sirius' back-up took the unidentified man with him to the ministry, leaving Potter and Black with the family.

They listened to Remus as he told a story about a dragon and watched the boys laugh, forgetting what had happened mere minutes ago.

Lily got back with a tray of snacks and placed it on the table. She took her husband to the side and asked him if he knew the attacker.

"I don't, love. I don't think I've seen him before. Have you?"

His wife frowned, thinking back to the past few weeks.

"I'm not sure, I haven't been as careful as we used to be. We haven't been attacked in years, so I've been taking the boys out more often. If he followed us home from Diagon Alley, I wouldn't have seen it."

James pulled her into a hug, knowing that she usually blamed herself if something went wrong. They had both been a little careless, and their enemies had taken advantage of that.

"Do you think the boys have seen him?" Lily asked her husband.

"I didn't think to ask. I haven't asked them what happened yet."

They watched as their boys laughed and squealed as the story turned into a tickle fight between the Marauders and the children.

"We always said that we would be honest with them, we will ask before they go to sleep."

James approached the laughing children and defended them by poking Sirius in his side, making him yelp and turn around. His victim, Harry, jumped on his godfather's back and made him stumble and fall. The trio collapsed in a heap on the floor, and Nathan jumped and joined the pile.

Remus and Lily were left standing and shaking their heads at the scene. Sometimes, it was like the had four children living in this house.

**A/N Of course, this has nothing to do with the identity of the boy-who-lived, but this was just to cute to pass up. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Seeing as so many like this story, I've pushed myself to write another chapter so I could keep all of you happy. Request in reviews for a situation with my twins will be written with a few exceptions.**

Fire. Screams.

Diagon Alley was alight with spells. Every single spell solely meant to harm. Death Eaters in their cloaks and wearing their mask created chaos on every street they appeared. Everyone tried to run away, some conjuring shields so their family could escape safely before disappearing.

Half the shops had lit on fire and were quickly collapsing as the beams gave out. The streets were suddenly quiet once the spellfire ceased and the shopping witches and wizards had left.

Voldemort appeared without a sound in front of his followers. He looked at them with disdain as they welcomed him. In silence he observed the damage to the alley.

"Where is the Order?" he asked impatiently

No one spoke up, afraid to get punished. Voldemort raised his wand and used the Cruciatus Curse on the nearest Death Eater.

"Well?"

The victim groaned and answered: "Probably at the ministry, my Lord"

Voldemort holstered his wand. "Of course they are."

Once his resurrection had been made public the Potter twins and their annoying friends had given every magical being the advice of going to the ministry when he attacked somewhere. It was their brilliant solution. Less people died, he couldn't use a diversion to attack the ministry because the aurors were otherwise occupied and it made capturing informants far harder than it should be.

The one plus side was that he never had opponents when he decided on missions that didn't involve killing and torture but collecting and stealing. Now that the LeStrange family had been executed he needed to get his Horcrux out of the vault.

Because of the ancient laws of the noble families the vault would be given to the closest family member, and that happened to be Sirius Black. He needed to get that piece of soul and hide it again before the Order of the Phoenix got their hands on it.

He send a few Death Eaters home and took the lead on their path to Gringotts. The goblins had closed their doors during the chaos and he considered for a moment how he was going to get them to reopen the doors.

He sent some of his servants back into the streets and told them to warn him if the Order showed up after all. He didn't need those idiots to ask him what he was going to do. And with the amount of followers he had it would be no problem to kill 8 dozen goblins and get to the vault. The real warriors would show up when he was long gone.

A burst of magic opened the doors without a problem. He entered and looked at the empty seats. The goblins had left the main hall. There were no warriors, no accountants, it was empty.

"Look!" a Death Eater yelled. His hand was pointed towards the ceiling where two teenagers lounged on the chandelier. They each had their wand in hand pointed at him.

"Potter, get down here!" the snake-like man yelled to the boys.

"Do you think he means you or me?" Nathan asked Harry.

Harry shrugged. "You're older."

Tired of waiting, Voldemort cast a spell at the chandelier and watched as it crashed.

"I think he wanted both of us to come down, but he's too scared of hissing and avoids the letter's'," Nathan whispered.

Voldemort watched as both boys floated mid-air. How had they known he'd be going here, and more importantly, how had they gotten rid of the goblins? He voiced the last question out loud.

"We aren't friends if that what you think, but they hate you. Apparently, you're bad for business. The bankers don't appreciate that. "

Harry's feet touched the ground, the chandelier the only thing between him and the Potter's greatest enemy. Nathan joined him and repaired it, reattaching it to the ceiling.

The green-eyed boy took a piece of parchment from his robe and threw it at the Dark Lord. Said Lord stumbled back when the piece of paper collided with his chest. It was heavier than it looked, weighted down with magic.

"This, is a legal statement from fourteen years ago. We took everything from the LeStrange Vault while they were prisoners as was our legal right, which means that you can leave," Harry said confidently.

Voldemort stared at the teenagers.

Silence. Denial. Rage.

He fired a killing curse.

The boys ducked and he was about to cast another one when someone groaned behind him. Through the open doors he could see the Order of the Phoenix. They had gained power as their numbers increased once the group was legalized. His followers were disapperating and he had no choice but to follow.

"How did you get here?" a woman asked sternly as Nathan and Harry Potter entered her sight. The Order members retreated, not in the mood to face Lily's temper and no longer able to help. Her husband stayed behind with Remus and Sirius, hoping to save the boys from their mother's wrath.

"Well,…."

"Harry James, finish that sentence," Lily ordered.

Harry, who was still considering how to get out of this mess was saved by his brother.

"We went through the front door, mom." Maybe it wasn't saved by his brother, but doomed. Harry elbowed Nathan and glared. That was no help. And now he was angry too.

"We heard about the attack an hour before it happened. We suspected he would be going to Gringotts, and you know that we can't afford a war with them right now!" Harry snapped.

"Mom, you have to understand. We just got the goblins downstairs when he came barging in. There was no time to warn you. " Nathan tried to explain to his mother and father.

"We had a deal, son. You were allowed to fight as long as you warned us. I'm proud of what you did, but you need to be careful. Don't mock him and don't play around," James spoke up.

Both parties were frustrated, but Harry's temper was the first to make itself present.

"Don't mock him?" Harry shouted. "You and Sirius call him a half-blood to his face. You insult his appearance and speech. You tell him what he's doing wrong and tell him to get a hobby every time you face him! You don't get to tell us how to beat him. Do you think we asked for this?"

Harry disapparated and Nathan followed with a disappointed look at his family.

"They grew up so fast."

Everyone looked at Remus. He was the only one who would say it out loud. The boys had always listened to them and they had always made sure that Nathan and Harry were enjoying their life as much as possible. Lately, with the attacks and the pressure that the ministry and their dying friends were putting on their shoulders those happy moments had been far apart.

The twins were always together, but instead of having fun they were working their hardest trying to protect the school, the ministry, their home and their friends. They were slowly collapsing from exhaustion, and everyone always asked for more. They no longer felt appreciated. Every stare from the relatives of dying wizards and witches were killing them inside. They acted like adults and hadn't started a prank war with the Marauders in months. No one knew what to do.

The youngest Potters didn't want protection, they didn't want to have fun, they wanted to be save. But they weren't. Eight of their homes had been destroyed, all of their stuff lying in ashes. Their friends hunted like animals. They refused to go to Hogsmeade because they knew that Voldemort would attack. They were never save. Death Eaters in the school tried to kill them in their dorm. The teachers refused to lay off and they had detention every night because neither was handing in their assignments. They never went and both were falling behind and weren't going to graduate if they kept it up.

They disappeared for hours at the time to places where no one could find them. They captured Death Eaters and kept Voldemort on his toes while they searched for a way to kill Nagini, the last Horcrux. The only thing keeping them going was each other. The identical twins clung to each other when it got too hard, when all they wanted was to stop. This needed to end soon. Otherwise, they weren´t going to make it.

**A/N So, ****the war is worse than ever, and all the boys have is each other. Their parents don't know what to do or how to act and everyone is looking for answers. This is a series of one-shots, there is no chronological order, just so you know. I hope you enjoyed this and I'll see if I will write another day in their lives. Request something in a review, because I'm inspiration-less at the moment. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thank you for all the amazing reviews. I felt inspired to write today, so enjoy!**

No windows. No doors. No light. No closets. No desks. No chairs. No danger. Two beds. Two trunks. Two boys.

Harry and Nathan Potter undressed in silence and crawled into their respective beds. Neither one bothered to conjure a light, neither seemed bothered by the room. It was three O'clock. Three hours past midnight and Nathan was exhausted. They'd had a busy day, and tomorrow wouldn't be any easier.

Nathan whispered a simple goodnight to his brother and fell asleep. Harry wasn't as lucky. He twisted and turned, but he never fell asleep. Knowing that laying in bed for an hour was useless, he cast a silencing spell and disapparated.

Hogsmeade was quiet. Noone dared to roam the streets during the night, afraid of Voldemort and his followers. He entered the Hogshead and greeted Aberforth like an old friend.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping, lad? You were here half an hour ago," Aberforth inquired.

"Couldn't sleep. There's a lot to be done, so I'm flying back to the castle."

The man nodded sadly and grabbed Harry's Firebolt from behind the counter. The youngest Potter smiled and thanked him. Without another word he left the bar and mounted his broom. He quickly flew to the Three Broomsticks and saw Rosmerta.

The woman offered him a drink and he asked for a glass of water. He sat down at the bar and asked for her latest update.

"It's been quiet. People no longer stay and talk. Hogsmeade has been attacked eleven times now. It's just as deserted here as it is in Diagon Alley. I've been hearing rumours about an attack at Azkaban."

Rosmerta tried to rub away the headache that appeared when she thought about the attack. Nowhere was save these days. They didn't need more Death Eaters and criminals to worry about. Harry watched her and hoped for something more.

"Do you know when?"

"I don't, Sweetie. Parkinson's wife just mentioned it to Nott's boy. They were interrupted by the Macnair arrest."

Of course they were. Voldemort was gaining the upper hand far too quickly. Everyday people died. There was nothing they could do.

"Thank you. I'll inform the Order."

Even though Rosmerta wasn't part of the Order, she helped as much as she could. But now he had even more problems to worry about. He flew to Hogwarts and slipped through a window, wand in hand. He was on his way to a secret passageway when he encountered Dumbledore.

He didn't bother with hiding. If there was one thing he'd learned here at school, it was that Dumbledore would always turn a blind eye on him.

"Hello, my dear boy. May I ask what you are doing out of bed?"

Harry wanted to laugh hysterically. The first and last time they'd slept in their dormitory this year they'd almost been killed in their sleep. Their beds at Hogwarts were unused for so long that the House Elves had vanished them.

"I am behind with my lesson plans, Sir. When I couldn't sleep it seemed like a good idea to write them down now so I could actually teach something useful tonight."

"Maybe you would get some inspiration if you attended your own lessons first."

Dumbledore gave him a disappointed look. Harry just stared. He and Nathan were working their butts off in an attempt to keep as many people as possible save, and he didn't need to know how to turn a pig in a desk. He wanted to tell Dumbledore that even though he hadn't actually seen him teach, the Defence professor wouldn't give him anything but a headache. He kept his mouth shut.

"Of course professor. I'll go make those lesson plans now."

He left before Dumbledore could call him back and ran to his study. It was a secret room that he and Nathan had turned into their study. One wall was covered in maps. Tiny dots moved on the maps and both vanished and appeared at random intervals.

The Marauders Map was in the middle. It was surrounded by other maps with the same properties. Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, Godric's Hollow, Azkaban, the Ministry and many Wizarding Towns and Order safe houses. After a quick look and search for the Death Eater indicating red dots he sat down at his desk and grabbed the unfinished lesson plans.

Four hours later his brother joined him without a word and grabbed a new roll of parchment. They worked in silence. A House Elf brought them breakfast and left them alone. When it was almost nine O'clock they took their brooms and apparated as soon as they reached the edge of the wards.

Harry told Nathan about the possibility of an attack on Azkaban. His brother reacted the same way he did. They entered the new Order headquarters and took the seats at the head of the table, across from Dumbledore. Many were absent. There was barely anything left from the old Order.

Dumbledore, Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, Snape and Alice Longbottom. Everyone else was dead. Others had taken their place. Fighters, healers, informants and spies. But no spy was as good as Severus Snape. The Order of the Phoenix had almost collapsed when Voldemort discovered Snape's disloyalties. There had been no inner-circle spy ever since, and the number of deaths proved that.

Reports were given and ideas were shared, but there was no passion in their words. Hope was lost. People were dying, they didn't know where the next attack was going to happen. All they could do was plea to the Potters. To kill him, to end the war, to stop the deaths. They were ignorant to think that everything was the fault of Harry and Nathan, but they didn't see what the boys were going through.

No longer able to take it, Nathan announced the rumours of an impending attack and left, confident that his brother would fill him in. He returned to the study and finished his work. He used Dumbledore's office to floo to the ministry, Dumbledore unable to stop him because he was at the Order meeting.

He found Sirius there and gave him the parchment.

"Another law, Nathan?" Sirius asked tiredly. He had been in the Wizagamot since the attack on the Potters, hoping to pass enough laws and erase the old ones in order to prevent another war from happening. The new laws certainly made it easier for the Order and the Aurors, but Voldemort was to smart. It made his job far harder.

"Sorry, Sirius. We thought of this one last night, we could really use it."

Sirius looked it over and nodded. "I'll see what I can do." He ruffled Nathan's already messy hair and turned around to address the Minister.

Nathan apparated to the next location and smiled when he saw Harry there.

"You okay?" he asked. Harry nodded and they got to work. Nathan watched Harry as they renovated the two-story house and noticed that his wand work was sloppy. His brother was blinking excessively and was using the walls for supported. Shaking his head, he continued.

Once they were done Nathan went home, not thinking that Harry would be able to summon the concentration needed for apparation.

His parents had finished packing and they looked at the house from the garden. Thirty weeks. That's how long they'd been able to live here. James looked at his wife and son before raising his wand and setting the building on fire, erasing all evidence of their stay.

Harry hadn't waited for them at the new house, preparing the Room of Requirement for the lessons. Nathan wouldn't be attending today, so he helped his parents furnish the house and took his time. They moved to the kitchen, allowing Lily to talk and cook at the same time. Nathan regretted that he wouldn't eat it, but ignored the feeling.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Nathan."

"Harry isn't sleeping or eating," Nathan hesitantly told his mother.

Lily stopped stirring and closed her eyes with a sigh. Her sons were not supposed to be in this position. After counting to five, she opened her eyes and watched her oldest stare at a dot on the wall, lost in thought.

She sat down on the bench and hugged him. Nathan and Harry had always been different. People always saw the similarities, but they didn't know all those little things only a parent would know. Nathan had always cared for and protected his friends to the best of his abilities, but it had always been Harry who wanted to save everyone, who gave everyone a chance. Those differences were what made them so strong, so balanced.

"Come and sleep here tonight, I will take care of it. Alright, Honey?"

"Thank you, Mom," Nathan whispered gratefully. Most sixteen-year-olds weren't as close to their parents, but this family was special. With his father's hand on his shoulder, Nathan felt better. He hugged them both and left for Malfoy Manor.

Narcissa Malfoy was a special woman. She had taken her husband's arrest gracefully and had cleared her own name and her son's. She was the perfect example of a neutral party. Her dinner parties were infamous. This was where you met people that could change your life. Foreigners from the highest positions in their ministry knew Narcissa and always encouraged her to organise feasts, balls, and dinners.

Harry detested this part of their role. Nathan had excused him from the parties if Harry would do the Defence lessons alone. Both were content with the arrangement.

Seeing the Bulgarian Minister, an old friend, Nathan put on a smile and mingled.

**A/N The next one shot will sort of be the sequel to this one, but I think it can stand alone. I'll post it as soon as I'm ready **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N a new chapter written with an extremely cheap glass of red wine next to me, this should be impressive… Happy birthday to me, even though it has been a month already, I'm in the middle of moving. That's why I haven't updated since before my birthday. Ah, well. enjoy!**

Midnight had passed by the time Nathan entered Hogwarts. He was strolling through the corridor with a satisfied little smile adorning his face. After three meetings and countless letters, the French ministry had finally agreed to openly declare themselves against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The Dutch had made a likewise statement in January, just like Ireland had when the war first started. This meant that Voldemort was closed in by enemies and had no place to reach for allies. If he wanted to attack on foreign land, he would be taking a larger risk than he would deem acceptable. Nathan was feeling just a little bit smug.

His feet led him to his study. He opened the secret passageway and greeted Harry. His brother wasn't there. Nathan immediately looked for the note that they always promised to leave behind if something unexpected came up. Nothing.

Immediately, Nathan turned towards the map-covered wall. A green and a red dot stood out amongst the sea of black names. The boy cursed silently and ran back to where he'd come from. The corridors blurred as he used his magic to boost his body. He jumped out of the window with his broom in hand. He never heard the quiet gasp of the Deputy behind him as his body fell to the ground at a sickening speed.

The moment his broom crossed the ancient wards the boy vanished. The uncomfortable feeling that is always coupled with Apparation didn't bother Nathan as he concentrated on his brother.

It took him a second to regain his balance. His wand was pointed at the two dark figures in the distance. He picked his brother without a thought. Harry's movements were slow and unbalanced. His spells were weak, sluggish and rarely even accurately aimed at the Death Eater.

Macnair was one of the best. When they had been children, Macnair had managed to break into the Potter residence and stun Nathan all by himself. After escaping from prison during the Azkaban break-out, Macnair had been invisible. Harry had been furious.

Harry had a very protective personality. He always attempted to protect anyone and everyone. That he hadn't been able to protect his own brother, even though Nathan was older and Harry had been eight at the time, was a personal failure.

And Harry should be able to beat the Death Eater in both fair and unfair duels. With little sleep and food however, Harry was an average duellist at best.

Nathan distracted Macnair with a ray of spells and tried to close the distance between him and his twin. The Death Eater conjured a shield that Nathan couldn't help to identify from 50 feet and shot a cutting curse at the younger Potter. He needed to incapacitate the weak one first, the older one would be far harder to beat.

The curse hit Harry in the chest. Nathan kept up his barrage of spells and curses as he grabbed his little brother by the arm and apparated to Hogwarts.

Blood gushed from the open wound and Harry looked paler by the second. He needed to get to the hospital wing, and fast. He took in the distance between his location and the castle.

Nathan cursed again and recalled all of his medical training. With a chant he watched as the skin mended back together. The ragged shirt that Harry had worn was looked at once and vanished. For decency's sake, Nathan conjured a new one and carried a sleepy Harry to the castle gate. A sound made him stop and Harry jumped out of his arms. His little brother crouched and had one hand resting on the grass. He was still pale and shaking, but alert.

A little girl, a first or second year, was sitting against a tree at the edge of the forbidden forest. Harry stood, swaying slightly but not obviously, and made his way to the girl. Nathan, who didn't trust children any more than an adult, always weary of polyjuice, traps and deception, aimed his wand at her.

The girl looked up once Harry's shadow deprived her of the moonlight. Recognition cleared her eyes from tears. The raven-haired girl jumped at Harry and punched him with her fists. Her angry screams echoed over the grounds.

"Why didn't you save them? My family is dead. My house is on fire. Why are you here! Leave! End this. Why can't you just do what you're supposed to do!"

Harry had fallen under the onslaught, far too weak to resist the anguish of the Ravenclaw.

Nathan was quick to grab her and trap her against his chest, her hands pinned in one of his big hands. Harry didn't get up.

The wand light nearby caused Nathan to turn around and face one of his favourite teachers. Minerva McGonagall took one look at the scene and nodded at Nathan, who nodded back. She took over the girl and looked at his brother with a clear question in her eyes. The twin shook his head and lifted his brother from the wet grass.

The transfiguration Professor looked back once to see Nathan cradle his brother and head for the wards. When would this end?

"Let's go home."

Nathan apparated straight into the new house and didn't have a chance to explain before Lily had taken her injured son and carried him to the sofa. James went upstairs to fetch the standard set of potions, just like Remus went straight to the kitchen to grab something to eat and drink.

Sirius put a hand on Nathan's back and guided him up the stairs and to the twin's bedroom. Not that they would ever voluntarily sleep there, but that was beside the point.

"You okay?" Sirius asked while they leant against the headboard.

"Harry's an idiot."

Sirius frowned at him. Nathan never insulted Harry like that. Sure, they joked about it, but this sounded far too serious.

"How come?"

"Harry decided that he could last through a duel with Macnair while he's missed four days worth of sleep, ate one piece of toast this morning and lead an entire DA meeting without informing me and forgetting to leave a note."

Nathan stood and Sirius watched as he paced through the room.

"He disregards his own life, takes responsibility for every single death, tries to protect me by leaving me out of the loop as much as possible even though I'm just as involved in this as he is. If we didn't attend as much meals at school as possible, he would probably forget to eat. Why can't he just accept that we can't stop this war and that Voldemort will win? Why can't he just accept that all we can do is have some fun and wait for Voldemort to kill us. What do people expect two teenagers to do about a homicidal maniac creating a war that will soon rage across the border if Russia decides that Voldemort is a certainty in the future. "

Nathan's voice broke on the last sentence and collapsed back on the bed.

"I'm just so tired."

Sirius took the boy in his arms and tried to coax him into a deep sleep.

A sick feeling attacked his body as he watched Nathan give up. Knowing that it was very wrong to think so, Sirius wished that Voldemort would just kill them all. They were all so tired. His friends downstairs, his injured godson and his twin. The Order, Dumbledore, the ministry. And he wanted to surrender, but then he remembered his godson lying on the couch and the sleeping boy in his arms. Harry would never give up, and Nathan always would fight for his little brother. As long as they fought, so would he, so would their parents, and so would the Order and their friends. But that didn't make them any less angry or sad. It didn't give them hope or strength. It just made them tired.

"I know. I know."

**A/N They're tired, and so am I, good night.**


End file.
